350-pound bear killed in Colorado after it tramples on female camper inside tent

The bear was hunting for food at the time of the incident.

(File picture) Bears can become aggressive in the hunt for foodReuters

A bear has been euthanised in Colorado after it jumped on a camper while she was inside her tent.

On Tuesday 25 July, at around 10.30pm, the woman was eating inside her tent to avoid being caught up in a rainstorm that had hit the Aspen Acres Campground in San Isabel National Forest, just south of Colorado Springs.

The 350-pound male bear walked towards the tent and pounced onto it, pushing the woman to the ground and crushing her.

Protected by the tent the woman somehow survived with only minor injuries and avoided being bitten or clawed.

The bear quickly left the scene after a friend of the woman heard the incident taking place and ran to the tent.

A park ranger called 911 for emergency assistance while the woman's injuries were tended to.

But the same bear had already had officials worried after it had been spotted on the previous night trying to break into a car that had food inside.

Wildlife officers reacted to this by placing bear traps around the area.

They also placed up signs near the campsite to warn visitors about the recent bear activity.

However, after the tent incident, park rangers were left with no choice but the track down and euthanise the bear.

On Wednesday 27 July, the rangers found the bear, which had been up a tree, and killed it.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) group issued fresh advice for visitors to prevent similar incidents taking place again.

Their main rule was to eat away from bear locations and to keep food locked up to prevent more being attracted to you.

Bears tend to become aggressive when they are hunting for food, which is when the authorities are forced to destroy an animal.

The CPW website reads: "Every time we're forced to destroy a bear, it's not just the bear that loses. We all lose a little piece of the wildness that makes Colorado so special."